Administration has just recently begun looking for a replacement food service provider. They will be removing current food provider Aramark Educational Services and hiring a new one for this upcoming fall semester.
Previously, the Chimes reported that Capital signed a 10-year contract with Aramark. However, according to former vice president of business and finance Mike Horan, there was a clause in the contract stating it could be broken at the discretion of the university.
The search for a new provider will begin immediately in order to get them set up before the beginning of fall semester. Members of student leadership and other faculty and students will be involved in the deciding process.
Throughout the school year, there have been many complaints from students regarding the food provided on campus.
“I am very happy that Capital has chosen to get rid of Aramark because I feel as though the poor quality of the food on campus brings down the overall attractiveness of the university,” first-year Hannah Barnard said.
There are no plans to significantly alter the price of meal plans for fall 2018; the main goal of the change is to improve the value of those meal plans and the dining experience for students and staff.
Criteria for the new provider include fresh, high-quality, healthy food and ingredients; an understanding of the campus’s diverse culinary tastes, dietary restrictions, and nutritional needs; an excellent track record of customer satisfaction and food safety; and an operating system that is consistent with Capital’s values.
The mention of a better history of food safety is especially important due to the critical violations noted during the Franklin County food inspections that happened last September.
Within the update email administration sent to students, they also provided a survey that asks what things are most desired in a new food provider. This is a strong step in getting all students active in the decision making roles on campus, especially with something that is so prevalent to student life.
For more information on Aramark, continue following the Chimes and check out what has previously reported here.
This is not surprising as Aramark has lost focus on the quality of the food. Their website talks about innovation, but there is zero innovation as they’ve been cutting staff from accounts and the university market. Their new CEO is running the company like Pepsi…cost cutting left and right, centralization and lack of focus on people and quality. They have fewer people left in the business unit and not surprising to see their losses across the higher education space. Sad…used to be a good company with focus on quality and the university market.